What is commissioning and how is it changing?

What is commissioning and how is it changing?
Kings Fund  18 September 2017

• A blog by looking at the commissioning process, the organisations involved and how it is changing.

Governance and accountability in new care models

Governance and accountability in new care models - presentations
Kings Fund 8 February 2017

• Presentations from a conference which looked at how governance and accountability will work in new care models and place-based systems of care.

STPs explained

Sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) explained
Kings Fund 24 August 2016

• Concise answers to the following questions
• What are STPs?
• What do they mean for the NHS?
• Will they deliver benefits for local populations?
• Where next?

Action learning approach to quality improvement

Strategic quality improvement: An action learning approach
Kings Fund 25 May 2016

• The King’s Fund was commissioned by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust to work with their Quality Board to facilitate an assessment of its existing approaches to quality improvement and to develop a strategy for future work.
• This case study details the approach and philosophy behind this work, which involved working with the trust’s five directorates to develop their ability to appraise their own approach to quality improvement with a view to improving performance, achieving better clinical outcomes and building further on the trust’s capacity as a learning organisation.
• Oxleas and The King’s Fund used an action learning process – including information-gathering, self-assessment and evaluation, and workshops – to co-create this case study, 

What the planning guidance means for the NHS 2016/17 and beyond

What the planning guidance means for the NHS 2016/17 and beyond
Kings Fund 5 February 2016

• This briefing considers some of the key publications and policy announcements that have come out in the wake of the 2015 Spending Review and offers a commentary on what they might mean for the future landscape of the NHS.
• It begins by pulling out the key points of note from the range of documents published to date and then offers an assessment of what they mean in broader policy terms. 


• Key messages
• The approach set out for 2016/17 and beyond represents a watershed moment for the NHS.
• Changes to the way the system works, such as the introduction of multi-year allocations and the shift towards place-based systems of care – if implemented well – will give the NHS strong foundations from which it has a chance of achieving sustainability in the long term.
• The place-based approach represents an important acknowledgement that the now-widespread deficits are not simply a provider problem and that creating a sustainable financing model requires commissioners, providers and local authorities to work together.
• Guidance from central bodies signals an end to the post-Francis era. It has been made clear that the system has reached a point where finance must be given much greater priority.
• Gone too are core elements of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, in particular, the emphasis on competition and the principle of autonomy, with national bodies re-asserting control in order to get a strong grip on finances and performance.
• Frontloading of the Spending Review settlement means that, if and when the NHS has the capacity to progress from deficit reduction to transformation, it will be doing so against a backdrop of much smaller funding increases. It is inconceivable that the NHS will be able to achieve both financial sustainability and large-scale transformation within these financial constraints.
• The numerous and complex demands being placed on the NHS come at a time when many organisations are already under huge pressure. National bodies should be clear about the most important priorities, recognising that not everything can be delivered within the funding available.
• Leaders will need to work collaboratively in place-based systems of care. It will be critical that organisations engage staff at all levels in achieving sustainability and delivering transformation, and focus on improving value for patients and not crude cost-cutting.

The future of health and social care - interim report from the Kings Fund

Commission on the future of health & social care: interim report
Kings Fund, 3 April 2014

• The report explains why it believes England needs a single health and social care system, with a ring-fenced, singly commissioned budget, and more closely aligned entitlements.

The new NHS in pictures

A guide to the new NHS 

Kings Fund July 2013

• An online pinboard bringing together diagrams and pictorial representations of the new NHS structures.

Lines of defense against poor quality care - Findings of the Francis report

Patient-centred leadership
Kings Fund, 23 May 2013

• A summary of the main findings of the Francis Inquiry into the failings of care at Mid Staffordshire in relation to NHS leadership and culture. 
• The report sets out what needs to be done to avoid similar failures in future, focusing on the role of three key 'lines of defence' against poor-quality care: 
• frontline clinical teams, 
• the boards leading NHS organisations, and 
• national organisations responsible for overseeing the commissioning, regulation and provision of care.

Coalition government - mid term assessment

Health policy under the coalition government: A mid-term assessment 
Kings Fund, 28 November 2012

• This report examines the policies introduced by the coalition government focuses its findings on eight key aspects of health care: 
• access, 
• patient safety, 
• promoting health, 
• managing long-term conditions, 
• clinical effectiveness, 
• patient experience, 
• equity, and 
• efficiency

Trends and drivers for the future

Future trends overview
Kings Fund, 15th November 2012

• A review of some of the most significant trends and drivers that we believe will affect health and social care services over the next 20 years.
• Part of the “Our Time to Think Differently” programme.

Quality and care and patient experience

Improving GP services in England: Exploring the association between quality of care and the experience of patients 
Kings Fund, 7 November 2012

• Using data for more than 8,000 general practices in England, this paper examines the association between patients’ perceptions about the non-clinical aspects of care and practice performance on measures of clinical quality

Quality of care and patient experience

Improving GP services in England: Exploring the association between quality of care and the experience of patients
Kings Fund, 7 November 2012

• Using data for more than 8,000 general practices in England, this paper examines the association between patients’ perceptions about the non-clinical aspects of care and practice performance on measures of clinical quality.

Map of HWBs and CCGs

Health and wellbeing boards / CCGs - a directory
Kings Fund, Updated September 2012

• Details and contact information for health and wellbeing boards and clinical commissioning groups across England.
• Part of the Kings Fund research area: Health and wellbeing boards: making them work

Directory of HWBs and CCGs

Health and wellbeing boards & CCGs - a directory
Kings Fund, Updated September 2012

• Details and contact information for health and wellbeing boards and clinical commissioning groups across England.

Fundamental change is needed to transform delivery of care

Transforming the delivery of health and social care - The case for fundamental change
Kings Fund, 16 September 2012

•  This paper (the first in a series on the future of health and social care in England) explores how the current health and social care delivery system has failed to keep pace with the population's needs and expectations.
• “Incremental changes to existing models of care will not be sufficient in addressing these challenges and …a much bolder approach is needed to bring about innovative models that are appropriate to the needs of the population and are high quality, sustainable and offer value for money.”

Clustering and changes in unhealthy lifestyles

Clustering of unhealthy behaviours over time: Implications for policy and practice
Kings Fund, 23 August 2012

• A review of the current evidence on multiple lifestyle risks and analyses data from the Health Survey for England on the distribution of these risks in the adult population, and how this is changing over time.
• The report picks up on the role Health Trainers and Health Champions play and Making Every Contact Count.

Guide to improving outcomes

How to measure for improving outcomes: a guide for commissioners 
Kings Fund, 1 August 2012

• Two slide sets to help CCGs make the best use of measurement to support them to commission for improved outcome
• An introduction to choosing and using indicators
• Measuring quality along care pathways

Leadership through engagement in the NHS

Leadership and engagement for improvement in the NHS: Together we can. 
Kings Fund, May 2012

• The final report of the The King's Fund's 2011 Leadership Commission makes the case for engaging staff, patients and boards and for building relationships across systems of care. 

A Kings Fund guide to rationing

Thinking about rationing

Kings Fund, 3 May 2012

• A guide to the practicalities and controversies surrounding allocation and use of resources, what is known about rationing in practice. 
• Includes examples and illustrations, drawing on the available evidence and conversations with clinicians and managers